Ocasio-Cortez ducks question on whether she will challenge Gillibrand in Senate

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in a new interview ducked a question about whether she’ll challenge Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand for her New York Senate seat. 

“There’s a world where I’m here for a long time in this seat, in this position. There’s a world where I’m not an elected official anymore. There’s a world where … I may be in higher office,” she said in an interview with Politico.

Asked whether she could mount a challenge to Gillibrand, Ocasio-Cortez said “don’t ask me that question … print that.” 

Her answer didn’t rule out the possibility of a Senate run, but she also didn’t rule out staying in the House — or leaving Congress altogether.

Gillibrand is up for reelection in 2024, prompting speculation about whether she could face a Democrat challenger. Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the so-called “squad,” repeatedly has been floated as a possible contender for the Senate seat.

The third-term congresswoman, who surged to political stardom when she ousted incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley in New York’s 2018 Democratic primary has also been considered by some as a possible contender for the presidency, though she said last year that she wasn’t sure the country would let that happen.